


You remind me of the times when I knew who I was

by Alunala, buccibaby



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Collaboration, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fix-It, Gay Character, Golden route, Multi, My Unit | Byleth Twins, Nonbinary Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, no beta we die like Glenn, two dumbasses try to figure out technology
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alunala/pseuds/Alunala, https://archiveofourown.org/users/buccibaby/pseuds/buccibaby
Summary: After a chance encounter with one of their old friends, two classmates find themselves teaching at the same school they attended as youth; Garreg Mach Monastery. They end up teaching the Blue Lions House, the house they were former members of. While they are annoyed that they can't continue their hunt against the man whose been wreaking havoc across Fodlan, they quickly settle into their post as professors and end up changing the lives of their students for the better.(Tags will be added as the story progresses.)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 3





	1. i'm waking up at the start of the end of the world

**17th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

Freyja was looking around the monastery, face lit up with wonder.

She arrived at the monastery just after the sun had risen, after a long, laborious journey that lasted all throughout the night. Thankfully, she arrived by carriage, otherwise, she would have been too sore to stand, given the nature of horseback riding. 

Saying that Freyja was excited to meet everyone is an understatement. Being the house leader, she had already met the other house leaders, Emerson, the leader of the Black Eagle House, and Solomon, the leader of the Golden Deer. Emerson was a noble from Remire territory, and Solomon was a noble from Daphnel territory.

Ever since she found out that her father paid for her to have a full year’s worth of education at the Officer’s academy, Freyja has been ecstatic. One of her biggest aspirations as a kid, setting aside wanting a pegasus, was going to the Officer’s Academy. Her father often spoke of his memories there, from the time he hosted a party and made Rhea mad, to the time when he managed to pass a certification exam after drinking the night before. To this day, Freyja never knew where he got the alcohol from but had a burning suspicion it was linked to one of the professors. 

“Hey, Freyja, what’s up?”

Freyja turned around to see the chestnut-brown hair of Solomon and his sky-blue eyes. His face had a friendly appearance and he was known for his skills with a sword, and when he, Emerson, and Freyja were training together, he would often break the ice with some silly jokes. It really helped, given Emerson’s general introversion and aloof attitude and Freyja’s unfamiliarity with being a leader. Due to his skilled sword skills and the status of his elder sister, it was no question that he was chosen as the leader for the Golden Deer. After all, he was related to Judith, the Hero of Daphnel. Freyja had met Judith once and it was easy to see the resemblance between Judith and Solomon.

“Not much, I’ve just been meeting the other students in my house and trying to make them feel comfortable,” Freyja replied, “Rhea and Seteth did talk to me about housekeeping things, like making sure no one’s homesick, ensuring people keep their rooms clean, you know, stuff like that.”

Solomon laughed, “You always worry too much. I say that if they’re showing up to class, then they’re fine.”

Freyja shook her head, “Back when I went to a noble school, there were several times I went to school when I definitely shouldn’t have gone.”

Solomon’s sky-blue eyes sparkled and he stifled a laugh. “Well I guess that’s your own fault, now, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but…” Sometimes Solomon was impossible to deal with. This was one of those times.

Once again, Solomon had a smile glued to his face. “Looks like I’ve caught you off guard with my stunningly good looks.”

As a kid, Freyja was taught that rolling her eyes was extremely impolite and that she shouldn’t do it, even when she _really wanted to._ It wasn’t uncommon for noble kids to go through etiquette training where they learnt manners befitting to the nobility. This was one of those times where she wanted to betray that training, however, Freyja kept a stiff upper lip and refused to bite back.

“Anyways princess, why don’t we see how chickpea is doing. He’s probably off doing dark magic or setting fires.” Solomon said. From where they were standing, they could see Emerson’s cheeks darken, almost as though he could hear them call him “Chickpea” from that far away. He appeared to be talking to a girl with hair so blonde it was almost white.

Freyja nodded, “Hopefully he’s introduced himself to his classmates. I would hate for it to be a repeat of the Black Eagles leader when my father went here.”

“You mean the one that refused to talk to anyone until his father came to the monastery and threatened to give his inheritance to a random commoner unless he started to clean up his act?” Solomon asked.

Freyja laughed, “Mind you, he did end up becoming a really good house leader. I think he just needed his dad to break him out of his shell.”

They eventually reached Emerson and Freyja gave him a shy wave, “Hey Emerson, how are you doing?” she asked. The blonde-haired girl ran off, leaving for the Blue Lions classroom. Freyja assumed that was one of her classrooms, but Seteth informed her about the possibility of students getting lost the first day.

Emerson responded in a voice so quiet a mouse could be considered louder, “Not bad.”

“Aww Chickpea, brighten up. Aren’t you excited to learn about the mystical magic of miasma?” 

“Shut up Solomon.” Emerson said, slightly louder this time, “I’ve told you countless times to stop calling me by that childish nickname.”

Solomon smiled, “You know, the more you tell me to stop, the more I want to call you by that name.”

“Why don’t we see if the Archbishop has anything to tell us, prior to our first day of classes?” Freyja suggested, hoping to break the tension between both Solomon and Emerson, “She might have some things that she might have forgotten to tell us.”

Solomon laughed, “Stop being such a stick-in-the-mud. You should know enough from when your father was the house leader of the Blue Lions back in his day.”

“I guess that’s true, but what about Emerson?”

“Chickpea? He’ll figure it out on his own, won’t he now? After all, he’s ‘so independent and doesn’t need anyone to help him.’”

Freyja shook her head, “Emerson, you’re more than welcome to follow me around if you need any help with anything. I’ve practically memorized the instructions that both Rhea and Seteth gave us. You’re more than welcome to reach out to me if you need anything!”

“I’m fine.” Emerson insisted, “I don’t need help with anything.”

At this point, Solomon had already gotten bored with the conversation and had left it. He was now speaking to a boy with pink hair and pink eyes, presumably the noble from Goneril territory that he had spoken of so fondly.

“Well, it’s high time that I spoke with some of my classmates, just to get to know who they are. I’ll be seeing you soon, Emerson,” Freyja waved, smiling at the black-haired boy who just scoffed in return.

“Whatever.”

Solomon took a break from his conversation to yell, “Don’t let Seteth hear that attitude!”

Freyja laughed and headed into the Blue Lions classroom. There she saw the girl with extremely light hair and gave her a small wave. It was pretty easy to identify Freyja as the house leader; each house leader had a cape corresponding with their house colours that they were advised to wear. 

Freyja walked over to the girl and gave her a wide smile. “Hello, my name is Freyja Avelina Mateus, but you can just call me Freyja.”

The girl looked down at her white boots, avoiding eye contact. “Anastasia. Anastasia Rose Clarke.” 

The softness of her voice reminded Freyja of the Black Eagles house leader, the same person Anastasia was talking to before. The two of them seemed rather cold, however, Emerson’s coldness was likely to hide something. Anastasia’s coldness was likely due to something else entirely.

“I love how your hair is styled!” Freyja complimented, trying to keep the conversation flowing. Anastasia’s hair was styled in two buns with strands on each side that framed her face really nicely. 

“Thank you. Do you know where the greenhouse is?” Anastasia asked.

Freyja nodded and pointed towards the greenhouse, “It’s just that way. Let me know if you have any other questions, I’m your house leader and I’ll make sure that you’ll be hap-”

Before Freyja could finish her sentence, the girl had bolted out of there. Sighing, Freyja figured it was just nerves from being in a new place. While Rhea and Seteth explained that anxiety was normal on the first day, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was a little more anxiety than what they were talking about.

Freyja shook it off and figured that she would have more opportunities to talk to Anastasia as the year went on and hopefully get her more acquainted with the Officers Academy and everyone there.

On the other side of the room, there was a man with short blonde hair and a stocky woman with a ponytail with framing strands on both sides, “Hello, I’m Freyja Avelina Mateus and I’m your house leader.”

The woman with the ponytail immediately took Freyja’s hand and shook it, “Hello, I’m Cassandra Elspeth Charon. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve been wondering who the house leader was. I’m glad that I’ve finally met you.”The boy was the first to speak, “I’m Cristophe von Gaspard. It’s really nice to meet you. I hope to get to know you as the year progresses.”

* * *

**19th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

Freyja stroked the mane of her pegasus, listening as the flying horse whinnied. Both her and Adelaide were hiding in a village nearby Lake Teutates. They had been called here through a tip that the man they were hunting was here. He was known by the name Roland and had been terrorizing nearby villages with armies of bandits for no particular reason. 

“It looks like we reached this village too late. I don’t think there’s much else we can do,” Adelaide said, kicking at the ground with leather boots. They didn’t make eye contact with Freyja.

There was no doubt that Adelaide had changed. They wore their platinum-blonde hair down and had become more confident. They were able to make eye contact about half the time now, something that Freyja was extremely proud of them for.

“Yeah. I think we need to move on quickly before Roland has a chance to decimate another village. People’s lives are at stake.”

“Judging by the state of this village, he’s getting better at decimating them. Better for him, worse for the people,” Adelaide stated, staring blankly into the bushes. At that moment, the two of them heard a pained groan coming from said bushes.

Freyja stopped petting Peia, her pegasus, the moment she heard a groan. “What was that? Do you think we should help?”

Adelaide shrugged their shoulders. “I don’t know. The last time we tried helping something in the bushes, it was a skunk and it sprayed the two of us.”

Freyja chuckled a bit at the memory. The two of them stunk for days, even after they had burnt their clothes and taken three tomato juice baths each. The only thing that had made the smell go away was time. “It does sound considerably more human this time. Besides, I don’t think skunks live in this part of Fodlan.”

“Regardless, I would rather it not be a repeat of the events of last time,” Adelaide said and Freyja nodded. Adelaide crept into the bushes where they were able to make out a figure in the greenery.

Adelaide ran closer to see a bulky woman laying on the dirt ground, hair streaked with crimson. In her right hand, she was clutching a broken Shichishito and her left hand was clutched over her heart. From a distance, they could see several stab wounds, one in the lower abdomen, one in the chest, and one in the thigh. 

“Freyja! Hurry up!” Adelaide yelled.

Freyja had naturally taken longer to approach, due to the fact that she had to harness Peia, making sure that the winged horse did not fly away while she was distracted. Adelaide’s ebony pegasus had already been harnessed, ensuring their one form of transportation wouldn’t get distracted and fly away.

She followed Adelaide’s voice into the bushes to see Catherine, a knight of Seiros, lying unconscious in front of her. 

* * *

**17th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

_The woman with the ponytail immediately took Freyja’s hand and shook it, “Hello, I’m Cassandra Elspeth Charon. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve been wondering who the house leader was. I’m glad that I’ve finally met you.”_

Freyja was relieved when Cassandra finally let her hand go. The woman had clutched her delicate hand as though it were a sword and it had gotten painful pretty quickly. “It’s really nice to meet you, Cassandra.”

“Thank you. I’m from House Charon, but I couldn’t care less about my noble status.” Cassandra gave Freyja a toothy grin, “I’d much rather fight for what I believe in.”

Cristophe smiled at Cassandra in return, “You know, you remind me a lot of my adopted brother, Ashe. We only just adopted him and his siblings, but you can tell that he has the biggest heart and an even bigger of justice.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. How old is he?” Freyja asked.

“He’s around nine. Lonato only found him last month, but we’ve already learnt so much about him. He tried to steal a book from us, but that was because he needed to feed his siblings somehow because he was orphaned. My father took him in so Ashe and his siblings don’t have to worry about that ever again.”

“That’s awesome,” Cassandra said, “I didn’t know your father was capable of such compassion.”

“Neither did I,” Cristophe admitted, “I never expected him to step up and care for someone, but he’s been ensuring that the kid’s been taught how to read. At first, Ashe wasn’t comfortable around him, but the kid’s grown so much, he’s built a really strong bond with him. The same goes for his siblings too.”

“I know there have been quite a few orphaned children on Mateus territory. Usually, my father gets families with more income to step up and take care of them for a while and checks up on them and makes sure they aren’t doing...well..um...questionable things. If they pass my father’s rigorous testing, then they have to pay a little bit less in taxes, enough to subsidize the costs of the child and then some. It’s helped a lot,” Freyja said, “I’m pretty sure one of those kids, Joaquin, if I remember correctly, is at the academy this year.”

Christophe and Cassandra nodded. “I’m not sure if we do something like that in Charon territory, but hearing that makes me want to do something like that,” Cassandra smiled.

“I just don’t like thinking about where the kid could have ended up if we hadn’t taken him in,” Christophe admits and Cassandra gives a sigh of sympathy.

Freyja nods, “From what I’ve heard, the streets aren’t too kind for a kid like him. He’s lucky he even survived that horrible ordeal.”

“I agree,” Cassandra said, “I wonder if one day he will attend the Officer’s Academy.”

Christophe shrugged his shoulders. 

“Freyja, did you know that you bear a crest of Fraldarius?” Cassandra asked, her hand on her chin as though she was thinking of something.

Freyja nodded, “I have a crest of Fraldarius, however, I’m not sure where it came from. I think one of my ancestors came from the area and bore a crest and passed it down through my bloodline, but the details are blurry. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve always had this weird ability to sense crests in people and I thought I would ask you.”

Cristophe shrugged his shoulders, “I personally don’t bear a crest but there’s not a common crest in my family so it’s not unusual for me to not have one. Some nobles care if you have one, but I don't. All I care about is who you are as a person.”

They continued that conversation until Freyja realized that she hadn’t met the majority of the students in her house. She looked alarmed as she realized this and said, “Anyways, it was nice meeting you two. I’m off to meet the others but I look forward to talking to you guys again soon!” 

By the time the sun reached the highest point in the sky, Freyja had met everyone in her house. There was a commoner from Fhirdiad named Clement. Freyja wasn’t sure how he got sent to the academy, but she didn’t feel like prying. He was rather quiet and didn’t have much of a presence in the room, but he was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Freyja could tell that he was a kind and softhearted young man who genuinely cared about his friends.

Joaquin, as mentioned before, had been taken in by a noble family as a young kid. He was a cunning and sly kid who could get away with anything if he really tried. Freyja figured that characteristic was common in kids who lived on the streets as they needed to be cunning in order to survive. He also seemed like an incredibly hard worker and he was nearly impossible for her to find, requiring instructions from Solomon to find him. Eventually, she did find him in the training grounds, shooting practice dummies with his bow and arrow.

Malchior wasn’t the nicest person. Freyja wasn’t sure if that was because the two of them had started off on the wrong page or if it was because Malchior wasn’t a nice person. Whatever it was, it was obvious that Malchior, a noble from Conand, didn’t care much for her (or for anyone for that fact). However, he radiated energy that suggested that he would do anything for anyone once he was dedicated enough towards them.

Finally, there was a girl named Oriana. She seemed really blunt in her desires and when she wanted something, she would do anything to get it. Oriana mentioned that her family wanted her to become anything that wasn’t a knight, however, despite her mother’s objections, she was sent to the Officers Academy. The girl was training in reason and sword fighting. 

The introductions were fun and all, however, Freyja felt that the more and more she talked to people, the more important it was that she prayed to the Goddess for a safe year for both her and her classmates. While she wasn’t necessarily devout in the religion, she occasionally prayed, finding it a good excuse to clear her mind of any intrusive thoughts. It was also an excuse for her to check out the chapel. While she had spent time in the chapel before, she hadn’t had the opportunity to pray there. Freyja figured that she would be doing a lot of praying this year, given Solomon, Emerson, Malchion, and their antics.

When she reached the chapel, she was overwhelmed by the energy that the chapel seemed to be giving off. The stained glass windows reflected coloured light all throughout the chapel, scattering rainbows on every possible surface. The ceiling was arched and seemed impossibly high. In the pews on the right, she could hear a few people from a choir reciting a classic hymn. 

Freyja took one of the pews and began muttering to herself, “ _Dear Goddess, I know we don’t talk often, but I’m offering up a prayer to you today to pray for the safety of my classmates this year. I pray that you will protect us as the school year continues. I also pray that you make sure Emerson and Solomon lead their houses well and for all of Fodlan, that you make sure that-”_

Freyja was interrupted by a coughing sound to the right of her. She turned and saw Anastasia, the girl with the nearly-white hair, coughing. The girl stared into Freyja’s purple eyes and said, “I can’t believe you’re actually praying to the goddess.”

Freyja looked at Anastasia with confusion in her eyes. She didn’t know much about the girl and didn’t want to upset her either, “Yes, I’m praying to the goddess. I find that it’s comforting whenever I face troubles or a rough journey ahead.”

“I don’t believe in a goddess,” Anastasia said, eyes glaring daggers into the floor, “I don’t believe in anything except the lies of the church and the selfishness of man.”

Freyja shook her head, “I’ve never heard anything about the church lying before.”

Anastasia’s lips lifted into a smile and her voice deepened considerably, “Trust me, the church is a lie.”

“Huh,” Freyja was confused. She had no idea what Anastasia was talking about. As far as she could remember, she couldn’t remember anything about the Church of Seiros lying about anything. Sure, there were some shaky parts of their history, however, Freyja chalked that up to some parts being lost in translation and others not being remembered very clearly. She wasn’t very sure about the conflicts between different parts of the church but she figured it was due to the diverse culture of Fodlan.

Before Freyja could respond to the girl, she saw the girl run off in the corner of her eye. She looked closer and saw her in the choir section next to one of the men. Anastasia was standing next to the man and appeared to be trying to get his attention. She succeeded and the two of them went off into a separate pew. 

Conflicted, Freyja wasn’t sure if she should intervene. The two of them seemed to be getting along fine and dandy. There was nothing that tipped her off about their interactions. Through pretending to be praying, she was able to get a little bit of their conversation.

“...I didn’t expect to see you here…”

“...I’m a Knight of Seiros....these are our headquarters....not abnormal to see me here,” the man with the moustache said. 

“...Why did you insist….I come here?”

“...That’s another story entirely...just make sure Rhea doesn’t know your true thoughts…”

The man made eye contact with Freyja and she shied away, staring at the ceiling, not wanting the man to know she was eavesdropping. While it was prudent for her to know as much as she could about her classmates, there were things that it wasn’t appropriate for her to know or things that were irrelevant. Freyja figured that Anastasia’s past with this knight wasn’t relevant at the current moment. After all, Anastasia would have told her if it was important. 

She decided to leave the chapel and head back to the Blue Lions classroom. There she saw Oriana, the girl with the blue hair, talking with Cassandra and Christophe. Cassandra appeared to be dominating the conversation, talking about how she wanted to be a knight for the Church of Seiros one day.

* * *

**19th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

_She followed Adelaide’s voice into the bushes to see Catherine, a Knight of Seiros, lying unconscious in front of her._

“Oh, my goddess...no...this can’t be,” Freyja sputtered out. She was at a loss for words. Catherine was known for being extremely strong and yet Roland’s group of bandits had been able to take her down so easily. She had no clue how something like this could happen to one of the strongest Knights of Seiros.

Adelaide stared at Catherine, emotionless. Freyja looked at their face to try and get a good read of it, but she was unable to. Their face was completely blank and emotionless, almost as though they were deep in thought. “First, we have to get her out of the bushes,” Adelaide said.

Once they had accomplished that, the next step was to begin healing her wounds. Freyja watched as Adelaide began to patch up Catherine's wounds with healing magic. She was thankful Adelaide was here, if they hadn’t been here, Catherine surely would have died. However, they were incredibly talented with healing magic and as a result, there was a good chance that Adelaide would be able to save Catherine’s life. That was, of course, if the two of them were able to get Catherine to a healer in time. Such a thing wasn’t unlikely for the two of them were talented in flying. 

“This is about as good as we’re going to get,” Adelaide said, watching as they finished patching up the knight. “I knew she had become a Knight of Seiros, but I’m not quite sure why they would have left her by herself.”

Freyja shrugged. “I propose she might have gone off on her own. You know her, she’s always been pretty bold.”

“I guess you’re right. Still, I don’t understand. Roland’s been causing havoc all throughout Fodlan. Surely she must have heard of the damage and knew that she wouldn’t be able to take him down on her own,” Adelaide said, staring at Catherine’s bloody hair. 

“Regardless, I think the best course of action is to bring Catherine back to the Church of Seiros,” Freyja said, watching as Adelaide grimaced and rolled their eyes, something that Freyja was taught to never do. Freyja also noted that Adelaide was rather confused as to why she was calling the girl they once knew as ‘Cassandra’ by a completely different name. Freyja figured she would explain it on the way back, “Make sure you have the sword! That’s really important to her!”

Adelaide nodded and picked up the sword. Freyja would be flying with an unconscious Catherine on her pegasus and Adelaide would be flying with Catherine’s Thunderbrand. 

The two of them took off and headed to Garreg Mach Monastery on their pegasi. Once they arrived they were greeted by a green-haired man. “Seteth, we could really use some help!” Freyja called out. Adelaide stayed silent.

The green-haired man who hadn’t aged one bit since she had seen him last took one look at her and saw Catherine. “What happened to her?” He asked, his face contorted into an expression of shock. Both Freyja and Adelaide were on their horses, Freyja holding the knight while Adelaide held Thunderbrand.

Freyja replied, “We found her in a village nearby Lake Teutates. Do you mind holding her while we dismount our pegasuses and tie them up?”

Seteth nodded and lifted Catherine up and hoisted her into a bridal-style carry, giving Adelaide and Freyja a chance to dismount their horses, “Well we don’t have any time to dawdle or any time to catch up. The sooner we get her there, the better. I’ll help you get her to the infirmary and then I’ll tell the archbishop about what happened. She’s been worried about Catherine for a while”

The two of them got Catherine to the infirmary, the unconscious knight unsure of anything that was happening around her. There was an awkward silence between the three of them until Freyja noted that a red-haired teen was watching them while talking to a girl with blonde hair. “Are those some of the students this year?” She asked.

Seteth nodded. He obviously recognized both of them but didn’t say anything. “The school year’s about to start, however, we’re missing a professor for one of the houses. The one we had hired ran off after being chased by a demonic beast. Such a shame that Professor Littman retired. He was amazing.”

Freyja nodded, “I remember his lectures being really interesting and well-put-together.”

Adelaide stayed silent. They found it rather weird that Seteth didn’t mention the fact that they were supposed to be dead. In fact, it was even weirder that the man didn’t even talk about them at all or call them by their deadname.

Seteth knocked at the infirmary door. “Robert, I’ve told you several times that I don’t want you coming back here again.”

Seteth knocked again and sternly said, “This is Seteth.”

Professor Manuela immediately staggered out of the infirmary and saw Catherine in Seteth’s arms as well as Freyja and Adelaide. She gestured for Seteth to place Catherine on a spare bed and Manuela immediately got to work on her. “Come now, I think Rhea would like to speak to you two.”

Adelaide sighed and Freyja immediately knew what that sigh meant. The two of them did not want to deal with the Archbishop. Regardless of their own feelings, they followed Seteth to Rhea’s chamber.

As expected, the Archbishop was standing at the top of the steps, sun radiating off her complicated clothing. “Seteth,” she said, “I’m overjoyed to see these former students again.”

Seteth nodded, “The two of them found Catherine by Lake Teutates, rescued her, and brought her back to the monastery.”

Rhea gave a slight hint of a smile, “I am beyond grateful that you have brought back one of our most important knights. Especially you, Anastasia, I didn’t think I’d get to see you again.”

Adelaide sighed, figuring that they should correct Rhea before it was too late, “Anastasia died the night you guys failed to protect me. Call me Adelaide.”

Rhea nodded and began to speak, “That was an extremely tragic night and I am extremely regretful that something like that was allowed to happen at the monastery.”

“That was a failure on our end and we are ever so sorry that you had to endure that,” Seteth apologized, genuine remorse showing in his eyes.

Both Freyja and Adelaide were speechless. Adelaide was never expecting a genuine apology from Seteth and was grateful that they received one, however, their lingering feelings of hatred towards both Seteth, Rhea, and the church couldn’t disappear with just one sentence, especially given the hell that they had endured before going to the academy. Freyja was speechless because she never expected an apology on behalf of Seteth towards the events that had transpired back then. 

“Regardless of the past, I have been looking for a new professor to teach the kids this year. Normally it would be a very lengthy process but we are nearing the start of school and have yet to find a professor to fill the vacancy,” Rhea said, “Therefore, we are out of options.”

“What Rhea is trying to say is that we would like you two to serve as professors for the Officers Academy this year,” Seteth interrupted.

Adelaide and Freyja looked at each other and shrugged. This was definitely not the events either of them expected to transpire. Adelaide broke the silence with, “Well, what do you have to offer us in return?”

Rhea took a brief moment to think before responding, “Well, we can offer a prestigious salary and the opportunity to have your students fight against anyone you want during free days.”

Adelaide looked like they were going to say no until Freyja elbowed them, “This means we can have the students help us fight Roland when they get strong enough,” she whispered which seemed to change Adelaide’s mind. 

“I’ll accept- under one condition,” Adelaide said, “under the condition that we are allowed to teach the students _and_ the children around the monastery to read. Doing such a thing can make them appreciate the goddess even more as they will be able to appreciate that talent, like reading, came from the goddess herself.”

Seteth nodded, “Most of the students here come from a background where they know how to read, however, there are a sparse few that might not have the skills others have. I can certainly arrange such a thing for you to teach them and the monastery children to read.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Rhea said, “I’ve never had such a wonderful idea, but the more that I think of it, the better it sounds. Therefore, I have decided to hire you two as professors for this academy.”

Freyja smiled, “Is there any way that we can teach the Blue Lions house?”

“Of course. You were once head of the house, so it’s understandable why you would want to teach them. I recommend that you introduce yourselves to the students and get to know them better, regardless of whether they are in your house or not,” Rhea said, smiling, “The house leaders aren’t here as Edelgard, the Black Eagles leader, suggested training with one another to get to know one another better, but the rest of the students should be here.”

Freyja and Adelaide nodded and left Rhea’s chambers, unaware as to what they had just gotten themselves into.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking around to the end of the first chapter. This fanfiction is written by two different so stick with us. Comments are always appreciated and motivate me to write more.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Until next time
> 
> \- Alunala


	2. you must learn to stand up for yourself 'cause i can't always be around

**19th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

“I cannot believe Rhea actually believed that,” Adelaide shook their head as the pair made their way down the stairs. “If she believes that the villagers will use their knowledge to blindly follow the church, then she is mistaken.”

Freyja chuckled under her breath at her friend’s words, “That was clever, I will admit.”

Adelaide sighed as they set foot onto the first floor, crossing their arms and turning to Freyja. “The people deserve to understand what they’re being force-fed.”

“Heya, guys!”

Freyja laughed as Adelaide jumped at the voice behind them.

“Hello, Catherine,” The woman stepped down the last few stairs and planted herself next to the knight. “Should you be out and about right now? You seemed to be in a… More than concerning state just a bit ago.”

“I’ll be just fine, thanks,” Catherine grinned at the pair, “I’m glad you found me when you did, otherwise who _knows_ where I would be now. If you didn’t search those bushes I’d probably be dead-- or worse. I owe you one.”

A smile cracked across Freyja’s face, “Oh, you do not owe us anything. We’re just grateful that you’re still here, that’s all we could ask for.”

“Maybe not all we could ask fo- OW!”

Freyja’s smile didn’t slip as she jabbed Adelaide in the side. “They don’t mean that Catherine, please ignore them.”

She did nothing but laugh, “I missed you two so much. What have you been up to since graduation?” Catherine’s gaze shot between the two before settling on Adelaide. “Or… Or the grand ball, I suppose..?”

Adelaide bit their lip and looked down at the floor, remaining silent. They avoided making eye contact with either of them.

“We’ve been taking bounty jobs here and there,” Freyja answered, “but mostly we’ve been out trying to catch the man pillaging and destroying villages.”

Catherine’s brows furrowed momentarily, “Sounds like the guy I just had a run-in with. The church was notified of a disturbance nearby the village the two of you found me in and dispatched me to find out what the trouble was. When I got there, the entire place was already in flames. I was attacked by a man wearing a long cloak and a bright red mask, he was using dark magic if I remember correctly.”

“Did you not have stab wounds?” Adelaide inquired sharply, leaning against the wall and not taking their eyes off of the tile below them. “Did they only use magic? Where did the stab wounds come from, then?”

“I was jumped by bandits after he left,” Catherine smirked at the idea of the man fleeing the battle. “He just couldn’t handle fighting me, I guess. Glad to see you haven’t lost that attitude of yours, Anastasia.”

“Do not call me by that name. It’s Adelaide now.”

“Right, right,” Catherine sighed, “my bad, you’re right. Anyways, do you know anything about the guy?”

“His name is Roland, and that is almost as much as we know,” Freyja spoke with confidence to mask the fact that even after all this time, the two of them have hardly gotten any real leads. “He doesn’t seem to have any real goals. As far as we can tell he has only been improving and gaining power with time. He has been decimating entire villages in the matter of hours, we hardly have time to arrive between receiving word of his appearance and the absolute destruction of the area.”

“I see,” Catherine said. She was about to speak once more before a sharp hiss fell from her lips as her hands shot to the bandage on her thigh. “I think I’m pushing my injury a little too hard. I’m gonna go lay down, have fun meeting the students!”

The knight sauntered up the stairs and to the infirmary, leaving Freyja and Adelaide to their current task.

“Let’s go to meet the students!” Freyja smiled, heading right to the Blue Lions’ classroom. Adelaide followed not very far behind.

Upon entering the Blue Lions’ classroom, the two were greeted at the door by two young women. One was a younger girl with bright orange hair styled into two small ringlets hanging by her shoulders, who must have been around the age of sixteen. Her smile was bright and friendly, and her eyes were a soft blue-grey.

“Welcome!” the taller woman spoke first. Her voice was light and airy with a kind and caring, almost motherly demeanor. “My name is Mercedes von Martritz, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Mercedes wore her mousy blonde hair gathered loosely over her left shoulder, and her eyes were somehow an even softer shade of blue-grey than her friend’s.

“My name is Annette Fantine Dominic!” Annette grinned, “Are you two new students here, too?”

Adelaide looked between the two and smiled nervously, “Do we really look that young~?” they joked, likely trying to make a positive first impression on their students, despite their anxiety.

“We’re actually your teachers for this year,” Freyja smiled and bowed at the two, drawing the attention of a young man near the front of the room with bright red hair. “My name is Freyja Avelina Mateus. It’s an honor to meet you!”

Mercedes and Annette both smiled and bowed back, almost in unison. Freyja concluded the two of them must be very close to each other. They both looked over at Adelaide simultaneously, and Adelaide’s poise dropped quickly. Freyja couldn’t help but smile at their friend and how shy they were.

“My name is Adelaide Yvonne Payne,” they stuttered, offering a crooked smile and bowing as Freyja had just done. “I look forward to teaching you this year.”

The young man with red hair made his way to the entrance, leaving a girl by the chalkboard and joining the conversation. “Sylvain Jose Gautier, of the House Gautier, at your service,” he cracked a flirtatious smirk and winked at the two. “Who knew the professors here would be so gorgeous~?”

Adelaide’s face lit up bright red immediately, their eyes widening as they quickly averted their attention back down at the ground. This reaction elicited soft laughter from the man in front of them.

Freyja was taken aback momentarily but managed to clear her throat and snap out of her state of shock quickly. “It’s a pleasure, Sylvain.”

The girl with golden hair made her way to the front of the room, gently smacking Sylvain in the back of the head with a book. “Sylvain, you really ought to learn to respect people. I’m sorry about him,” she smiled. “I am Ingrid Brandl Galatea, of the House Galatea. I spend most of my time keeping Sylvain and Felix out of trouble, so I hope that they are not too much of a bother.”

“We have yet to meet Felix, but I’m sure that he will not be a problem,” Freyja consoled Ingrid, “Please do not worry. We know how to handle ourselves.”

Ingrid chuckled, “They’re a handful, that is for sure.”

“Hey, I’m right here!” Sylvain whined, rolling his eyes.

“I am aware.”

This interaction made Adelaide smile a little bit. Freyja had always noted that they enjoyed spending time around witty people, and it seemed this class would be a good place for them.

“Is there anyone else here? We’re roaming around to meet everyone that we can,” Freyja asked, looking between each of the students.

“There is no one else in the room right now,” Sylvain smiled, “we’ll let you know, though.”

“Thank you for your time, we’ll be going then. We’re looking forward to this year!” Freyja turned on her heels and left the classroom, Adelaide following alongside her.

Looking out into the courtyard, the two spotted a boy quickly. His silver hair was messy, and upon getting closer to him, they noticed his freckles were prominent and his eyes were green. He waved when he noticed the professors approaching.

“Hello,” Adelaide greeted the student first this time, and with a smile no less, much to Freyja’s surprise. There was something vaguely familiar about this boy, almost like she knew him… Perhaps Adelaide felt that way as well? “My name is Adelaide Yvonne Payne, and this is my friend and fellow professor Freyja Avelina Mateus. We’re the professors for the Blue Lion house this year.”

The boy appeared surprised to be approached, but his surprise soon fell into a sweet smile, “Hi, I’m Ashe Ubert! It’s nice to meet you.”

Ashe Ubert?

* * *

**19th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

“What did you say your little brother’s name was?” Anastasia asked Christophe, eyes not leaving her parchment so she could focus on her writing.

“His name is Ashe, he’s about nine years old,” Christophe tapped his fountain pen gently against the table and leaned his head on his hand. “Lonato only just adopted him recently, but he’s a great kid. Did you know that we found him trying to steal--”

“Steal a book from you, yes,” Anastasia sighed, setting her pen aside her parchment and examining her writing closely. “You have mentioned it once or twice.”

Christophe remained silent for a moment, looking back down at the table.

Anastasia finally gathered the courage to look at him, frowning softly. “I… I am sorry. I did not mean to interrupt you or make it seem as though I do not care. I only asked because I…” She trailed off, looking back down at her notes. She had never been good at expressing her emotions, but it seemed that she had hurt him, and that had not been her intention.

Christophe looked back at Anastasia and smiled, “Because… Because you what, huh?~”

Anastasia’s face contorted at having to admit it, but she was already this far in. “Because… You just really like talking and… I guess I like to listen.”

“Oh?” Christophe’s smile quickly became a grin, “You like to listen to me?”

“Don’t get in over your head here,” Anastasia rolled her eyes and focused on the wall next to her. “It isn’t about you, I just like to listen, okay?”

“Mhm, sure~” he teased, quickly finishing jotting down his notes for the day. “Hey, do you want to go to the Cathedral after class?”

Anastasia tapped one of her fingers on the table they shared, “Are you making fun of me?”

“Maybe just a little bit,” Christophe looked around the room before lowering his voice. “Why do you hate the church so much?”

Anastasia took a deep breath and stood, walking away from the boy and out of the classroom, leaving her notes and other possessions where they were. She didn’t say a word to Christophe or anyone else; she just up and left in the middle of class.

Freyja turned in her seat to check what the ruckus was, noticing Anastasia’s absence. “Where did she go?”

Christophe sighed and shrugged, packing away his things. “I don’t know, she just…” He stood and quickly followed her.

Freyja would be lying if she said she had not heard their entire conversation, but she chose not to say anything. It was true that she had noticed that Anastasia was not very fond of the church-- she had made that very clear. But she still was not sure why. Perhaps she should follow Christophe and help him find her?

She made eye contact with her teacher, who nodded in understanding before she stood to follow her fellow students. She quickly caught up to Christophe, who was standing back by one of the entrances of the dining hall, watching Anastasia and Alois from afar. Anastasia appeared visibly upset, and it seemed that she was crying, even.

Alois was in front of her, wiping her tears away. He was speaking to her, but up by the dining hall was too far away for Christophe and Freyja to hear.

“What happened?” Freyja looked over at Christophe, a questioning expression.

Christophe sighed and went back into the dining hall, finding a seat at the nearest table. “I am not really sure,” he shook his head. “I just… I suppose I was teasing her a bit, but I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Freyja’s expression softened into a small smile, “Then go tell her that. Just say you’re sorry.”

“But what if she just gets more upset?”

“Then you will have at least tried.”

Christophe gazed out of the doorway, contemplating his options. “Okay, yeah,” he stood. “You’re right. Thank you, Your Highness.”

The girl was a little taken aback by the honorifics, but just nodded and watched him walk away. She followed him halfway down the stairs, so she could hear the conversation.

Christophe offered an awkward wave to Alois before turning to Anastasia. “Hey, I um… I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you upset, and I shouldn’t have asked. It would mean a lot to me if you would join me for lunch today and be my friend.”

The silence was deafening for a moment, and all eyes were on Anastasia.

She took a moment before making eye contact with him.

“Of course I will,” her voice and smile were both shaky, but she had meant it. “Why don’t you tell me more about your brother? Or… If you want, you could tell me more about you.”

* * *

**19th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

_The boy appeared surprised to be approached, but his surprise soon fell into a sweet smile, “Hi, I’m Ashe Ubert! It’s nice to meet you.”_

_Ashe Ubert?_

Adelaide’s smile fell into a look of awe as their eyes sparkled for a moment, “You’re Ashe?”

Freyja giggled softly at their friend’s reaction to the name.

Ashe looked from Adelaide to Freyja as his brows raised in confusion, before looking back at Adelaide. “Yes, I’m… I’m Ashe.”

“Ashe Ubert as in the son of Lord Lonato?”

“Y-yes,” he stammered, “that would be me.”

Adelaide smiled and laughed softly, “I am so glad to finally meet you, Ashe! Christophe and I were the best of friends when I attended this academy, and I have heard so much about you.~ I used to go by the name Anastasia when we were close.”

It only took a moment for Ashe to return the starstruck expression, “ _You’re_ Anastasia Rose?? Christophe told me everything about you! He thought you were dead! Where did you go? How did you escape???”

Adelaide chuckled softly, “I don’t use that name anymore, and that’s a story for another time, alright? It’s a little long.”

Ashe composed himself once more and nodded. “Yes, of course. My apologies, Professor.”

Freyja smiled at the boy. “You sound just like Christophe.~”

Ashe gave Freyja a weak smile, “Thank you, professor. I’m glad to hear his memory lives on.”

A silence washed over the three before Ashe sighed, the other two said their goodbyes, and they parted ways.

After greeting all of the students at the academy, Freyja and Adelaide made their way to their quarters. They chatted on their way about how the monastery had not changed a bit, how they wondered if the food was the same, and about anything that came to mind.

“I wonder if Seteth is as much of a stickler as he used to be,” Adelaide looked up at the sky as they walked, watching the wyverns and pegasi with their knights on patrol. “He certainly looks the same. Everything looks the same around here. It really wouldn’t surprise me if you told me Seteth hadn’t actually aged a single day since I had seen him last.”

Freyja nodded in agreement, thinking to herself. What was it about Lady Rhea and Seteth? The two hadn’t changed, not even one single bit.

Adelaide stopped in their tracks, “Freyja, can we…?”

Freyja stopped and turned back to her friend. “What’s wrong, Laide?”

They looked at the ground and bit their lip. It seemed they were nervous to speak up, but despite that, they managed to squeak out, “Can we go visit the dorms? For old time’s sake? M-maybe we can go tomorrow?”

Freyja’s expression softened as Adelaide spoke. They wanted to visit the rooms of their old friends’, which made sense given the nature of their disappearance and how suddenly they were thrust out of the academy and the way they had to leave everyone they loved. “Of course we can.”

The two headed to their rooms and went to sleep, both eager to explore more in the morning.

* * *

**20th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

In the morning, Freyja knocked on Adelaide’s door, and after waiting a moment, Adelaide opened the door and invited her in while they got ready for the day.

“Are you ready to go?”

Adelaide smiled a little and nodded, walking down to the student’s dorm rooms next to Freyja, not leaving her side even for a moment. They were obviously tense, their gait stiff and their demeanor somehow was hyperaware; eyes darting from one thing to the next, as if they were concerned someone was going to jump out at them. Perhaps it came from the trauma brought on from the church, maybe it was the idea of revisiting the area they were nearly murdered made them queasy. Either way, this is what they wanted.

“Adelaide,” Freyja called out softly, smiling at them as they turned to her. Adelaide returned her expression.

“Yes?”

Reaching a hand out to set comfortingly on their shoulder, Freyja noticed that they accepted the gesture without complication. Adelaide didn’t try to avoid her touch or flinch at all, they just took a deep breath and continued forward.

Adelaide stopped in front of their old room, checking the nameplate. “Hey, look at that,” they chuckled. “Ashe has my old room.”

“Oh, that is neat,” Freyja smiled, “I wonder who has my old room?”

The two headed over to the stairs, heading up to the second level of dorms. Whereas Freyja walked all the way to the end of the hallway, Adelaide found themself paused in front of a door, staring blankly.

Freyja reached her old room and smiled, “Hey, the Blue Lion’s house leader has my old room!”

She received no response and turned to check on her companion.

“Adelaide?”

* * *

**4th of the Wyvern Moon, Imperial Year 1173** ****

Freyja sat on the edge of her bed, sleepless. She was concerned for a few of her classmates as of late. Clement seemed to be struggling with his academics in the past week, Oriana seemed distressed as she’s been receiving a lot of letters from home, and Anastasia had been spending an awful lot of time away from the monastery ever since she had arrived.

Deciding she needed to go for a walk to clear her head, Freyja opened the door and began walking out of her room, noticing that… There were voices just down the hallway. Soft laughter of a young woman and the somewhat familiar cunning voice of a man. Freyja slinked back into her room, peeking out to see Anastasia at Emerson’s door, the two having a seemingly… Pleasant conversation. The two walked into Emerson’s room, shutting the door behind them.

Freyja took this moment to sneak to the outside of Emerson’s door and press her ear against it.

“This is some incredible information, Anastasia,” Emerson spoke up, his voice absolutely dripping with a saccharine love. “You did phenomenal work today, princess.”

...Princess? Did Emerson just call her… Princess?

Anastasia’s voice called back to him from directly on the other side of the door, seemingly leaning against it. “Thank you, Em. Things seem to be going exactly as you planned. This wouldn’t be possible without you.”

The shuffling on the other side of the door suggested Emerson had approached Anastasia, though Freyja could not be sure. “You have a wonderful sense of direction, how did you manage to get a hold of these documents?”

“It really wasn’t that hard to find,” Anastasia explained, the sound of rustling papers covered the sound of her voice for a moment, “the library carries copies of these blueprints, and if you notice the page number here… This one is missing page 97. So all I did was take a look at the publisher, print date and found the matching books in the library. Luckily, there were only three and they were quite easy to find.”

“These documents will be the key to our success, darling,” Emerson said, his voice becoming increasingly farther from the door. “And these spell formulas, they’re so… Neat. Did you write these yourself?”

“Yes.”

A soft chuckle fell from Emerson, “Incredible. You do understand this level of magic is something _unfathomable_ even for someone as skilled and practiced as Seteth, yes?”

“I do understand that, yes.”

“You can perform these spells?”

“I have before, yes.”

Emerson hummed under his breath, “Magnificent,” his voice was airy and breathless, “I knew you were talented, but this is… This is something else. Did the Western Church teach you magic like this?”

“Love,” Anastasia sighed, “you know that they did not. It frustrates me to no end that you continue to ask questions like this. I learned this magic myself, I wrote it myself, I taught it to myself.”

“I love picking fun at you,” the grin on Emerson’s face was apparent in his voice. “Come join me, Anastasia. Sit with me.”

Based on the rustling, Freyja concluded that Anastasia did as he asked.

“You know that there is a fly on the wall, correct?” Emerson’s voice darkened as he spoke. “Right outside of our door?”

“Yes,” Anastasia answered. “Would you like me to shoo them away, my king?”

Freyja’s eyes widened at this exchange, stepping away from the door. They knew she was there and neither of them spoke up about it until now?

“No, no,” Emerson responded, the sound of linens and blankets moving caught Freyja’s attention, “let them hear, darling. Soon enough they’ll find that they will not be able to tear themselves away. Especially from a voice as lovely and captivating as yours.”

A muffled squeak came from who Freyja assumed was Anastasia. “Em, _please_ , this is so embarrassing, I don’t want--”

Emerson must have put his hand over her mouth before speaking, as she was cut off, but there was still a moment of silence. “You will do as I say, yes? I hoped that I would not have to discipline you in the presence of others.”

There was a soft ‘mhm’ as Freyja’s stomach dropped. What did he mean by that? Was he… Serious? Should Freyja have a talk with Anastasia? How would she ever be able to bring this up to her?

“Good girl,” Emerson purred, “you know how much I love you, yes?”

“Yes,” Anastasia answered, “I love you, too.”

* * *

**20th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

_“Adelaide?”_

It took a moment for them to respond, tears already streaming down their cheeks before they managed to snap out of their dissociative state.

The door in front of them clicked open, revealing a young girl with a pale shade of white-green hair, her eyes a lilac color. She wore a black, gold, and white top adorned with red accents and a red cape slung neatly over her shoulder, indicating her status as the Black Eagles house leader.

“Hello…?” She called to Adelaide, waving slightly as if to catch their attention or greet them-- perhaps both.

Adelaide’s face flushed at the sight and bowed, muttering an apology. “I am so sorry, I… Found myself drawn here for some reason or another.”

Freyja smiled and approached the two, “Hello! I am sorry about the disturbance, my name is Freyja Avelina Mateus, and this is Adelaide Yvonne Payne. We are the professors for the Blue Lions house this year. And you must be…?”

The young woman smiled, “Oh, I have heard stories of your great leadership here as a student, Professor Mateus! It is a pleasure to have finally met you. My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg, I am the house leader this year for the Black Eagles class. Heir to the Adrestian Empire.”

Adelaide’s gaze met the floor as they stepped away from Edelgard’s room. “It is nice to meet you, Your Highness.”

Freyja glanced at them, before turning her attention back to Edelgard. “I am glad to hear that the house leaders have returned! We have been waiting to meet the three of you!”

Edelgard stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. “Yes, and we actually met an ex Knight of Seiros that goes by the name of Jeralt and his two children. Do you know of anyone such as this?”

Freyja shook her head, “I had read stories of Jeralt, but I have never met him. I certainly never imagined that I would work in the academy the same year he was found.”

“They are in Lady Rhea’s chamber at this moment, perhaps you should go and meet them,” Edelgard suggested, “I can walk with you if you would like?”

“That is quite alright,” Adelaide smiled, looking up at the young woman, “thank you very much for the offer. We look forward to getting to know you this year.”

Freyja and Adelaide said their goodbyes and started out towards Lady Rhea’s chambers. The two were silent the entire walk, both reeling over the recent incident. When they reached the second floor, they waited outside of the chambers, and Freyja decided to say something.

“Laide, you know that these are your students, you don’t need to address them with honorifics such as ‘Your Highness.’”

Adelaide sighed, “I know that, but something strange came over me,” they looked up at Freyja, “that was _his_ room, Frey. I just…”

“Hey, hey,” Freyja smiled comfortingly, “I know. You don’t have to say anything, just take a deep breath.”

Adelaide nodded and took a deep breath, closing their eyes.

A moment passed and the grand doors to Lady Rhea’s chamber opened, revealing a set of twins. Their hair both the same dark ashen color of teal, and eyes both an ocean blue. The woman was shorter, her face was blank and emotionless, but the man’s expression was turned down in a slight scowl.

Freyja smiled and opened her mouth to introduce herself, but the man pushed past her, and the woman offered only a polite wave before they both descended down the staircase.

Adelaide frowned and shook their head as they and Freyja went to speak with Lady Rhea and Seteth, perhaps they would ask some questions about the twins and Captain Jeralt’s return. When they looked inside, Seteth’s displeased expression was impossible to miss.

“I see the two of you have encountered our new professors,” Seteth hissed through his teeth, clearly attempting to mask his irritation as to not be rude to Lady Rhea.

“Our new professors, Byleth and Beleth are to be teaching the Black Eagles this year,” Rhea spoke in her typical, gentle tone. “It would bring me great pleasure if you would get to know them both better. They are vital to the growth of this academy and to the church. Please treat them with utmost respect and kindness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you enjoyed reading chapter two as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
> Comments are appreciated as always!
> 
> We will see you soon in chapter three!  
> \- buccibaby <3


	3. When it's time to live and let die

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

Freyja could practically taste the buzz in the air. People were scrambling all around the monastery, looking for something to occupy their time with. Today was the date of the mock battle, and Freyja was looking for Seteth, the professor for the Blue Lions.

The last she had heard, Seteth had served as the archbishop’s assistant. However, they were unable to find a professor, so he had stepped in as one at the last moment. The man was rather prickly and Freyja found that there were times when he was downright impossible to get along with. She had to find the man, she wanted to know the three students he had chosen for the mock battle so they could prepare themselves.

Finally, after walking through the dining hall for what felt like the thousandth time, she spotted a tuft of green hair sitting at one of the tables. She waved and saw her professor wave back. He was eating with Professor Hanneman and Professor Littman. She approached him and asked, “Professor, who have you chosen for the mock battle today?”

Seteth swallowed the mouthful of food that he had in his mouth, “I know you and I have to participate, but for the others, I was thinking Malchior, Anastasia, and Clement.” The last part was spoken a lot quieter, as though he didn’t want the other professors to hear.

“What about for safety? How are we going to ensure no one gets seriously hurt?” Freyja asked, her concern for her classmates slipping through.

The green-haired man paused before speaking, “We are only going to be using training weapons and the Knights of Seiros will step in when things look like they’re getting violent to ensure no one gets injured.”

“Thank you so much! I’m going to let my classmates know who's participating and who isn't! But first I should probably grab something to eat! Wouldn’t want me to faint in the middle of battle.”

Seteth nodded and went back to talking with his colleagues.

Freyja grabbed a bowl of stew and sat down by herself at an empty table. She took a bite and savoured it when she noticed that Solomon had joined her. He was eating the same thing as she was and the two of them sat there in silence until Solomon spoke up, “Are you nervous, princess?”

Freyja shook her head, “Absolutely not! I’ve been preparing for this day for a long time.”

“Wow, someone’s cocky. Do you know which classmates of yours are participating?”

She tilted her head to the side, “I do, but it’s not like I’m going to tell _you_ ”. She took a bite of her stew and waited for the Golden Deer’s house leader to respond.

Solomon laughed, “Come on, it’s not like I know anything about your classmates.”

“I saw you flirting with Oriana the other day,” Freyja remarked, “I’ll have you know that she doesn’t swing that way.”

Solomon frowned, looking disappointed for a brief second, “I’m really disappointed. I truly thought that she was my soulmate.”

The brown-haired girl cackled, “We both know that you’re kidding. I _mean_ how do you determine someone’s your soulmate after a single conversation with them.”

“I have my ways Freyja,” Solomon grinned, “I have my ways.”

It seemed like every conversation Freyja had with the leader of the Golden Deer had her wanting to roll her eyes. This one was no exception. She stuck to her noble training and kept a straight face as she had another spoonful of her stew.

“I’ll let you know that Professor Littman chose Holst for this battle. Told me that his skills with the axe can rival anyone’s. I bet he could beat you in a fight,” Solomon laughed.

“I highly doubt that,” Freyja said, “I’ve been training for a very long time.”

“I bet our house will win. Have you seen Chickpea anywhere? I want to know who he’s using in the battle.”

Freyja shook her head. The two sat at the table in silence for a little while before they were approached by Professor Hanneman. He asked, “Have you guys seen Emerson anywhere? I wanted to go over strategy with him?”

Freyja and Solomon both shook their heads.

“Well that’s a shame. I was hoping one of you guys had seen him. I better go look for him then,” Hanneman said, leaving the dining hall as he looked for the leader of the Black Eagles house.

Freyja shook her head as she finished the last of her soup. She waved goodbye to Solomon and decided to look for her classmates. Finding Malchior was pretty easy, he was always in the training hall. She watched as he thrust his training sword into the abdomen of a training dummy and straw piled out. “Hey, Malchior?”

The blonde-haired boy ignored her. Right about when Freyja was going to call his name again, he turned to look at her, “What do you want?”  
  
“I thought I would just tell you that you’re going to be participating in the mock battle between the three houses,” Freyja smiled, trying to stay as optimistic as possible, even though Malchior was downright impossible to deal with at times.

Malchior rolled his eyes, “Hmph.”

“Malchior! I’m being serious!” Freyja yelled, trying to get the swordsman to look at her in the eyes.

“Whatever,” He said, going back to thrusting his sword into the training dummy.

* * *

**20th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180**

“The man and the woman that we encountered earlier, those must be the new professors then?” Freyja said, looking at Adelaide. The two of them had exited Rhea’s chambers and were now chatting in the dining hall. 

“I think so. I wonder why they seemed so on edge,” Adelaide wondered, their eyes avoiding meeting Seteth’s.

Freyja shrugged, “I guess it’s the stress of having a whole bunch of new professors to train. There’s me, you, Beleth, and Byleth.”

“That’s true, but Seteth wasn’t that angry when we were hired. I wonder if there’s any other reason.”

Just then, a green-haired girl joined them, “Hello professors! I don’t believe I’ve met you. My name is Flayn and I’m Seteth’s sister!”

Adelaide poked Freyja in the side and whispered, “Wait Seteth has a sister? I didn’t remember him having one from our school days.”

“Maybe she was just recently brought to the monastery. She looks young enough to have been a kid when we were students. The monastery isn’t the best place for young children, you know,” Freyja whispered back.

She immediately raised her voice, hoping that Flayn didn’t hear their previous conversation, “Hello Flayn, it’s nice to meet you!”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Adelaide,” Flayn replied, smiling at Freyja.

Adelaide had to stifle their giggle, “Actually, I’m Adelaide. The girl next to me is Freyja.”

Flayn laughed, “Oh whoops. My brother didn’t bother to differentiate between the two of you.”

“So you’re really Seteth’s sister, huh? Back when we were students here, he was actually our professor,” Freyja said.

Flayn’s eyes were practically shining with wonder, “Wow, that’s so cool. What was he like?”

“Pretty strict. We had lots of work to do. He was reasonable though,” Adelaide explained.

Flayn let out a laugh, “Wow, brother sounds like a fun professor. I wonder how you guys will be as professors?”

“Hopefully not like your brother,” Freyja joked. 

Flayn tried not to laugh but ultimately failed. She burst into a fit of giggles and said, “He’s really overprotective of me. He told me that if I ever meet a boy, I have to stay six feet away from him.”

“That sounds exactly like Seteth,” Freyja laughed. 

Flayn’s face twisted as she saw her brother out of the corner of her eye, “Anyways, I think he’s calling me so I have to go, bye!”

The green-haired girl got up and left from their table, leaving Adelaide and Freyja ultimately confused, “Well she’s certainly a character,” Adelaide said.

Freya nodded, “Yeah. She’s certainly something. Anyways, I don’t think we’ve met all the Blue Lions yet. We’ve met Annette, Mercedes, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Ashe.”

“That’s true. I don’t think we’ve met the house leader either. If I remember correctly, it’s the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.”

“Ingrid also mentioned someone named Felix. Where haven’t we looked yet?” Freyja inquired, thinking about the places they had been. So far, they had visited the Blue Lions classroom and the courtyard. She had a burning suspicion that Felix would be found in the Training Grounds, based on the little that she had heard about him.

“Well, we haven’t looked in the marketplace, but I’m pretty sure that’s off limits to students right now. We passed the fishing pond and the dormitories on the way here and didn’t see anyone there, so that’s out. Maybe we should check the corridor and the training grounds?”

Freyja agreed, “I think we should check the training grounds. I feel like he’d be there.”

The two of them made their way to the training ground, passing a few students. Freyja pointed out a girl with white hair and pink eyes and compared her to Adelaide which made them roll their eyes. Once they reached the training grounds, there was only one person there, a navy-haired teen who was thrusting his sword into a training dummy. “What do you want?” He asked, sensing the presence of the two professors.

Freyja felt herself grow uneasy. The man seemed very uptight and aloof, just like Malchior had seemed at first. She decided the best course of action was to introduce herself, “Well, you see, I’m Professor Freyja, and this is-”

“-And who is that, your girlfriend? Why don’t you two do me a favour and leave me alone while I train,” he interrupted, ignoring Freyja in favour of thrusting his sword into another dummy.

Adelaide’s face paled as they were misgendered by one of their students. They opened their mouth to say something, but no words came out. Freyja, noticing her colleague’s discomfort, decided to speak up for them.

“Actually, Adelaide is _not_ my girlfriend, nor are they a girl at all. I expect you to treat _them_ with the utmost respect.”

Adelaide sighed in relief and watched as the man’s face flushed pink, “I’m sorry- my sibling was like that too,” He stared at the sand in the training ground for a split second before continuing, “I’m Felix Hugo Fraldarius.”

Freyja looked at Felix, “Well it’s nice to meet you. I assume you’re part of the Blue Lions? Ingrid was telling us about you earlier.”

“Yeah, that’s Ingrid for you. I want to practice some more.”

Adelaide whispered to Freyja, “There’s no point in staying here anymore. He’s just like Malchior.”

Freyja nodded and the two of them headed out of the training grounds, waving towards the blue haired man who waved back. As they were heading back to the academy, Freyja mentioned, “I don’t think we’ve met the house leader yet. Perhaps we ought to look for him and set up a meeting to find out their expectations for us as his professors.”

“You know, given the Golden Deer’s house leader, I think no one’s taking the whole ‘House Leader’ thing as seriously as you did, Frey. I heard him talking about giving someone named Lorenz a stomach poison.”

Freyja’s eyes widened, “What? Why? We need to put a stop to this!”

“Already done,” Adelaide laughed, pulling a bottle out of their coat, “I found this lying around the monastery. I definitely don’t plan on giving it back. If you sniff it, it smells exactly like one of the most potent stomach poisons out there. It definitely belongs to Claude.”

“Maybe we ought to check the greenhouse to make sure there aren’t any plants there that could be used as toxins,” Freyja joked, managing to get a laugh from Adelaide.

“You know,” they said as they walked the path to the greenhouse, “Seteth would never let anyone grow poisonous plants here. That’s probably more important now, considering that he has his own sister here.”

“Well, now that we’re at the greenhouse,” Freyja said, looking at her surroundings and noting the familiar-looking greenhouse, “I think it’s fair to say that we should take a look inside. Things could have changed since we went to the monastery.”

Adelaide nodded and the two of them headed inside to be greeted with an exotic smell. They were surrounded by all sorts of exotic plants. To the left, there was a lavender coloured pitcher plant that was oozing a maple coloured liquid that smelt like honey. At the very back, there was an empty flower bed with recently toiled dirt. In front of the flower bed, there was a stocky man with white hair planting seeds into the dirt. 

Freyja was the first to speak up, “Hello, I’m Freyja,” she introduced, offering him a wide smile.

The man paused his gardening and stared at Adelaide with his sky-blue eyes. He appeared to be scanning them, looking to see if either of them seemed suspicious. It only took a few seconds for him to dust off his monastery uniform and look at Freyja, “My name is Dedue Molinaro. I serve as Your Highness’s vessel.”

“So you must be part of the Blue Lions house then,” Adelaide said, “My name is Adelaide. Freyja and I are the professors for your house. It’s really nice to meet you, Dedue.”

Dedue looked at Adelaide and then at Freyja before speaking, “I look forward to attending your classes.” 

Freyja noted that the man was rather taciturn and seemed a lot like someone who didn’t initiate conversation unless he was spoken to, “Have you seen His Highness. We haven’t met him yet and I was hoping to meet him to discuss our expectations for him and his expectations for us.”

“I saw him in the Blue Lions classroom earlier. He told me to go do some gardening, so I followed his orders.”

“Thank you very much Dedue,” Adelaide acknowledged, “I look forward to having you in our class.”

The two left the greenhouse, Freyja waving at the man as she left. 

Eventually, the two of them found themselves in the Blue Lions classroom, facing a blonde haired man who was fidgeting with a lance. “Edelgard, what are you doing here? Did you bring me a lost student?”

Adelaide’s cheeks flushed pink as Freyja tried not to hold back laughter. Dimitri looked confused until he looked at Adelaide closer, realizing that Edelgard and them were not the same person, “I apologize for getting the two of you mixed up. You must be one of the students from another house. I’m Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince and the leader of the Blue Lions house. You can just call me Dimitri, I don’t particularly care for honorifics. Once again, I apologize for my mistake.”

Freyja accidentally broke into laughter, “We’re actually your professors this year. I’m Freyja Avelina Mateus and this is Adelaide Yvonne Payne,” she said, trying to keep herself together.

“I know we look quite young, but trust us, we’re quite capable for the job,” Adelaide stepped in, saving the day for Freyja who couldn’t seem to hold herself together. 

Dimitri set his lance down on one of the desks in the front row and kept his hands to his side. He was trying to hide his embarrassment, but it was quite easy for Adelaide to sense. 

Freyja had managed to stop laughing and looked at Dimitri with a relaxed smile on her face. In an attempt to keep the conversation moving in a somewhat orderly fashion, she mentioned, “Back in my day, I was the leader of the Blue Lions house. You probably have many questions, so don’t hesitate to ask me anything.”

The crown-prince’s face relaxed considerably and he offered a smile to Freyja, “That makes me feel much more relieved. I’m glad that I’ll be able to rely on you for your expertise as a house leader.”

Freyja blushed, “I think that’s a little too much praise,” she said, thinking about how she still felt responsible for what had happened to Adelaide. Her voice had grown considerably quieter at the last part and she could feel a lump growing in her throat. _Damn it, not now,_ she thought to herself. Standing up taller, she made it look like nothing had happened. 

Adelaide noted their friend’s discomfort and spoke up, “What Freyja is trying to say is that if you have any questions, please ask either one of us. We’d be more than happy to assist you with all of your inquiries.”

“I really appreciate that,” Dimitri said, shooting the two of them a soft smile, “Now, about the mock battle.”

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

Freyja had finally managed to deal with Malchior. Her whole body was twitching with excitement and nervousness for the mock battle. She was met by Seteth who had brought the rest of the class to the mock battle. 

“Alright everyone, here’s our game plan,” Seteth said, “I have chosen Anastasia, Malchior, and Clement for the mock battle. As the house leader, Freyja is required to participate, as dictated by tradition, and so will I.”

“Aw man, I wanted to participate,” Catherine said, putting her iron sword into the hilt of her belt.

Christophe shot a sympathetic look towards Catherine, “Next time. Remember, the battle of the Eagle and Lion is coming up! There will still be plenty of opportunities to participate!”

A groan was heard as Malchior slammed his fist against a desk, “I do _not_ want to participate. I told you that _earlier._ ”

Glaring his eyes at the blonde-haired teen, Seteth looked at Malchior and said, “I chose you for a reason. If you don’t want to participate in any battles, why are you at the academy?”

Malchior didn’t respond and remained silent, staring at the ground.

Clement smiled as he heard he was chosen. His green eyes shone brightly with encouragement and a smile could be seen on his face, “You chose me? I’m really honoured!”

Meanwhile, Anastasia was staring at the ground, “Why me, I-I’m clearly not good enough,” she said, almost too quiet for Freyja to hear her.

“Seteth wouldn’t have chosen you if he thought you weren’t good enough. I believe in you,” Freyja encouraged, placing a hand on Anastasia’s back.

The white-haired girl flinched away from the hand and darted a few steps away from Freyja. It was obvious that she didn’t like anyone touching her. Noting that for future reference, Freyja continued observing her classmates.

It looked like Joaquin was rather disappointed about not being chosen. If it had been up to Freyja, she would have chosen Joaquin over Malchior, given Joaquin’s enthusiasm to learn as much as he could. Freyja walked over to the man that towered over her and said, “Hey, it’s okay. I know you’re disappointed about not being chosen, but there are going to be so many more opportunities to learn!”

This appeared to settle him down a bit and she could see him relax a bit more. He ran his hands through his red hair and sat down on top of a desk.

“So, what’s the strategy?” Freyja asked, looking directly at Seteth who was observing the Blue Lions.

Seteth rested his chin on his hand for a split-second before he spoke up. “I was planning on taking the front lines, along with Freyja and Malchior, while Anastasia and Clement stay out of range.”

“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Clement said, smiling. It was obvious that he was looking forward to participating in this battle. 

“Now, I’m going to get you all to follow me. In case you didn’t know, this battle will be taking place in the outskirts of Garreg mach,” Seteth said, leaving the classroom. Everyone, except for Malchior, followed him, however, Freyja quickly changed that by shooting him a dirty look. Machior picked up his sword and followed him.

Continuing, Seteth said, “I expect everyone that is participating, to not participate at their full strength. This is a mock battle and I expect you to treat it as such. Magic users, you are to tone down the strength of your magic. Physical weapon users, you are only allowed to use training weapons. There will be serious consequences for anyone that injures another student on purpose. The Knights of Seiros will be watching and making sure that no one is at risk of serious injury. If someone is at risk of devastating injury, they will intervene. Scrapes and bruises are fairly common injuries in battle. If you feel hurt badly enough, you can retreat on your own time.”

Freyja nodded, “It’s also important to remember that if a Knight of Seiros tells you to retreat, you must follow their rules and retreat. They know what type of injury or moveset causes people to retreat, so if you are told by a Knight to retreat, you must listen to them.”

Eventually, everyone reached the outskirts of Garreg Mach. In the distance, Freyja could see Solomon waving at her. She returned the wave and focused on her classmates. To the side of the field, there was a row of seats that the other classmates were sitting in. Catherine and Christophe were sitting next to one another, Joaquin was sulking in the front row, and Oriana was as close as possible to the battlefield. 

“Okay guys, here’s the plan. Due to the limited number of our teammates, I expect everyone to stick together. We work stronger as a pack. Anastasia knows some healing magic so she will be able to patch up some wounds. If you’re too far away from her, everyone has a vulnerary, so if you find that you need some healing, that’s a quick way to heal yourself. It does prevent you from using a weapon until the enemy has a chance to move, so that’s a drawback,” Seteth explained, “We are going to be making an ‘L’ shape. I will be on the far left, next to Anastasia, who will be next to Malchior. Clement, you will be in front of Malchior, and Freyja, you will be in front of Clement. We are going to stick together, but stay far enough away that we won’t get ambushed.”

Clement adjusted his uniform and tucked a tuft of his black hair behind his ear in preparation for the battle. Freyja could see Solomon and a man with pink hair hiding behind a bush, holding an axe. She figured that was Holst. There was a brown-haired boy holding a bow, and a blue-haired girl holding a staff that was positioned diagonally to his left. Professor Littman was standing on a tile that had a green area of light. 

For the Black Eagles, a girl with green hair in a ponytail held a bow. Professor Hanneman was stationed on the same type of tile that Professor Littman was on. He was surrounded by Emerson, a stocky man with short black hair who held a lance, and a skinny man with beige coloured hair who held a staff.

In the center of the field, Freyja could see Alois, holding a flag of Garreg Mach Monastery. She knew enough from her training that when the flag dropped, the battle began. A sense of dread filled Freyja and she felt her stomach twisting inside of her. There was this unshakeable feeling that something bad was going to happen.

However, before Freyja could speak up about her nervousness, Alois lowered the flag.

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial year 1180**

“Are you guys ready to fight?” Freyja spoke, barely able to contain her excitement. Today was the day of the mock battle and she was so excited to see how the Blue Lions would perform. She had spent so much time preparing for this battle and she was so excited to see how it would play out.

Adelaide had drawn up a battle strategy, putting the positions of their opponents on a piece of parchment and marking the blue lions with coloured dots. It had long since been decided that Felix, Mercedes, and Ashe would fight the battle. It was tough for Freyja to reduce her own skill, however, it was necessary, considering how she would be fighting against students that might not have much battle experience. Adelaide had to reduce their own level of skill, considering that they knew spells that many people hadn’t even heard of. 

“If you weren’t chosen for this battle, please don’t be upset,” Freyja reminded her class, “There are so many opportunities to battle this year. I chose everyone’s name randomly, so everyone had the same chance of being selected. We have a training mission against the Knights of Seiros scheduled in two weeks, so anyone that isn’t participating today will participate in that mission. There’s also the Battle of the Eagle and Lion coming up and everyone will participate in that.”

Adelaide nodded. They knew that Freyja hadn’t chosen people at random, but they figured that it wasn’t best to tell everyone the truth to prevent hurting anyone’s feelings. After seeing how Joaquin had reacted seven years ago to not having been chosen, they figured that it was best to lie about everyone having an equal chance of being chosen.

“Now, just a reminder about strategy, I want to attack the Golden Deer first as they are more spread out. I’m not sure who will be on the frontlines, but I figure we should force them to retreat early on as well, in order to prevent them from catching us by surprise,” Adelaide said, gesturing to the diagram.

“Ashe, since you know curved shot, you can stay closer to the back while Felix, Dimitri, and I defend the frontlines. Mercedes, I want you to stay back and focus on healing, however, if needed, you can use nosferatu if any enemies get too close. Adelaide can focus on sending magical attacks, however, they will stand back. Everyone else, I want you to focus on strategy and pick out ways that you can improve or things you would have done better. I bought you all notebooks that you can write in throughout the year” Freyja said.

“Aw professor, why do you gotta make us work? There are so many pretty ladies that I can watch instead,” Sylvain complained, receiving a dirty look from Ingrid.

Freyja smiled, “If you’re so intent on focusing on pretty ladies, why don’t you focus on their strategy as well.”

Adelaide swore that they could see Sylvain’s eyes light up with glee, “Thanks professor, that’s such a good idea!”

“Does everyone understand what they’re supposed to do?” Freyja asked.

She was met with a unanimous nod from everyone in the classroom, including the people that weren’t participating in the battle.

“Perfect. I’d like to meet with a few people one-on-one before we head out,” Freyja said, gesturing towards Felix and Mercedes. 

While Freyja was busy talking to Felix, Adelaide had left the classroom and was sitting on a bench, distracted by their thoughts. Little did they know, Ashe had sat right beside them. He tried to clear his throat to grasp their attention, to no avail, so he tapped on Adelaide’s shoulder, causing them to jump into the air and let out a quiet yelp. Shock flooded Ashe and he immediately apologized, “I’m so sorry!”

Adelaide smiled at the kid, “Hey, don’t worry about it, kiddo. You just gave me a tiny shock.”

Relief replaced the fear that Ashe felt and he let out a sigh. “Thank you. I was just going to ask about Christophe. What was he like during the mock battle?”

They played with their snow-white hair for a few seconds before answering, “Well you see, your brother actually didn’t participate in the mock battle. He sat on the sidelines and cheered us on.”

“Oh,” Ashe frowned. Nervousness filled his stomach and he could feel the nausea boiling over, “What if I mess up?”

Noticing Ashe’s discomfort, Adelaide placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy leaned into their touch and they reassured him, “Ashe. You’re not going to mess up, okay? I’ve seen you hit targets that were extremely far away. If I picked up a bow, I probably couldn’t hit a target that was close to me. You’re going to do amazing. You were selected for this battle for a reason.”

Ashe smiled, “Thank you Adelaide. I feel a bit better now.”

“You’re welcome. Christophe would be so proud of you.”

Ashe smiled, “Thank you professor. I’m going to go check up on Annette now.”

Adelaide waved as Ashe ran over to the orange-haired girl and the two started what looked to be a friendly conversation. They figured that they weren’t needed outside the classroom anymore, so they headed inside and saw Freyja talking to Mercedes.

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

_However, before Freyja could speak up about her nervousness, Alois lowered the flag._

Immediately after the flag was lowered, Freyja watched as Malchior ran towards the archer from the Black Eagles, ignoring everyone else that was heading towards the Golden Deer. She sent an arrow that struck him right in the thigh, however, because the arrow was completely blunt, it fell right onto the ground. Freyja supposed that if that had been a real arrow, it would have caused some major damage.

In retaliation, Malchior thrusted his training sword into her stomach. Due to the dullness of the sword, he couldn’t actually pierce through her skin, however, if it had been a real sword, the archer would have experienced a pretty severe injury.

“Malchior! That isn’t part of the plan,” Clement yelled, gesturing towards the Golden Deer and sending a curved shot towards their archer. The shot hit the archer in the shoulder and he retaliated by sending a shot towards him, striking him in the calf. The arrow immediately hit the ground. 

Anastasia sent an orb of miasma towards the archer, causing him to collapse onto the ground, “I’m sorry Sciencia and Solomon, they got me good,” he groaned, “I guess I’m forced to retreat now.”

“Ozwell! Please get off the battlefield!” The girl with the blue-green hair whined. 

Two knights approached Ozwell, the guy that had been forced to retreat and helped him off the battlefield before he could get caught up in all the fighting. Both Freyja and Seteth ran towards Sciencia and she sent a thunder attack at Seteth, “Oof,” he winced, having been taken off guard.

Holst and Solomon stayed behind their bushes and Littman stayed on his tile. 

The archer for the Black Eagles sent another arrow at Malchior, this time striking him in the neck. Thankfully it had been a dull arrow, otherwise it would have caused severe damage. He was approached by a Knight who politely told him that he needed to get off the battlefield because that hit would have caused him enough damage had it been a real arrow.

“Are you kidding me?” Malchior yelled, “I’m not even hurt.”

The knight shook her head, “You would have been, had it been a real arrow.” 

Malchior grumbled and walked shamefully to the sidelines, plopping himself down in an empty area. Freyja could hear him yelling a string of profanities.

“Nice shot Delwyn,” Emerson cackled, approaching the Blue Lions. The man with the beige hair followed, along with the stocky lance user. 

Seteth took a drink of his vulnerary, healing the damage that Sciencia had done to him, “We’ll deal with Sciencia right now, however, the Black Eagles are going to be a big threat. We’re going to have to deal with them after we get Sciencia.”

Freyja nodded and ran towards Sciencia and struck her with her lance twice, causing the tiny girl to scream and send a thunderbolt towards her, “Pathetic,” Freyja uttered as she flipped out of the way of the bolt, taking no damage from Sciencia’s attack. 

Clement followed this up by shooting her with an arrow, causing her to scream and collapse. “Wow, they’re tough. It looks like I’m going to need to rest up,” Sciencia whimpered as she retreated.

“I did it!” Clement exclaimed, excited about his accomplishment. 

Freyja smiled at him, “Good job!”

Anastasia ran towards the black eagles, yet she stayed far enough away that none of them could approach her. Emerson continued to approach them, followed by the man with the tan hair and the stocky lance user. None of them were close enough to attack any of the Blue Lions.

“Let’s target them one at a time. Freyja, you go for Edmond, the magic user. The other three of us will attack Oliver, the man with the lance.”

Freyja ran towards Edmond and thrust her lance into his side and into his neck, causing no actual damage, however, if it had been a real lance, Edmond would have died. The healer was wise enough to know it was time to retreat without being told to and he sat down next to Sciencia, “You did a good job, Edmond.” Emerson announced.

Seteth ran towards Oliver and slashed his axe into his side, causing the man to whelp in pain. The attack wasn’t strong enough to cause any damage and Oliver retaliated with his lance, hitting Seteth in the abdomen. It would have hurt the green-haired man had it been real. Seteth wiped the sweat from his brow and prepared himself to face an attack from Emerson, knowing that the attack wouldn’t be strong enough to cause him to retreat.

Clement shot an arrow at Oliver, hitting him in the side, not causing enough damage to force him to retreat, but enough to make him recoil in pain. _One more attack and we’ll only have Emerson and Professor Hanneman to deal with from the Black Eagles. This is going a lot better than I thought,_ Freyja thought to herself. Her heart was racing in her chest, but it was a good feeling. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, but it made her more prepared to take on an attack. 

Anastasia sent an orb of Miasma at Oliver, causing the man to clutch his chest in pain and fall to the ground. “It looks like they’re a lot stronger than I am,” Oliver rasped, hobbling off to the side. 

The Golden Deer stayed put while Emerson approached Anastasia. “It’s such a shame we aren’t in the same house together,” he said, fake frowning.

“It’s not like it’s _my fault!”_ Anastasia whimpered. Freyja noted that the girl was slightly more scared than normal.

“We could have done so much together, darling,” Emerson laughed. Freyja could see the power in his eyes as he yelled, “You’re quite pathetic you know,” and sent a full power miasma straight at Anastasia. 

Seteth watched as Anastasia headed straight to the ground, screaming. A sickening thud was heard as she collapsed onto the ground with closed eyes. “Anastasia,” Seteth cried out, shaking the girl to try and get her to wake up. 

There was no response. 

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial year 1180**

“Felix, I don’t want you running off on your own. I know you think you’re capable of handling the enemy, however, I don’t want you to end up cornered and on your own,” Freyja warned the navy-haired boy.

Felix nodded, “I guess I’ll do that.

“The same thing happened to one of my classmates. He ran off on his own and ended up being forced to retreat by an archer with incredibly good aim. If you do that, one of the knights is going to tell you that you have to retreat,” Freyja warned.

“Well he must have been real pathetic to be forced to retreat because an archer shot him,” Felix said, “However, you’ve convinced me to stay with you guys.”

Freyja smiled, “Thank you Felix.”

Mercedes approached her professor, “Professor, you mentioned that you wanted to speak to me.”

Freyja nodded, “Yes. I just want to confirm with you that you’re going to be using a weakened form of magic during the mock battle today, correct?”

“Of course, I don’t want to hurt any of my classmates,” Mercedes said, almost looking pained that Freyja assumed that she would do such a thing.

Adelaide popped in from behind Freyja and whispered, “Mercedes doesn’t seem like the type to purposely disobey orders.”

“I just wanted to make sure,” Freyja whispered back. Mercedes was listening in on their conversation, but she found no need to intervene, so she stayed quiet. 

“Thank you Mercedes. I wish you the best of luck in the battle today,” Freyja smiled, “You’re going to do amazingly.”

“Thank you professor!”

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

“Wake up Anastasia,” Seteth panicked, trying to get the white-haired girl to wake up after receiving an especially strong miasma to the chest. Holding his fingers to her neck, he tried to find a pulse. 

Eventually, he found one, however, it was extremely weak and thready, “This is not good, I think Emerson and I are going to have a discussion on the appropriate usage of dark magic.’

Oriana, who had been sitting on the sidelines for the majority of the battle, had run up to Anastasia. She took one look at Anastasia and spoke, “She looks like she has a collapsed lung. The left side of her chest isn’t inflating as much as the right whenever she inhales.”

“Will she be okay?” Seteth asked. It was obvious that the professor was quite worried about his student. 

A beam of light hit Anastasia and Freyja looked up to see that Professor Littman had sent a physic towards Anastasia. The improvement was almost instant; it became apparent that she was still alive. Oriana used heal on Anastasia which also improved her, however, the girl remained unconscious. 

Suddenly, Freyja heard yelling from behind her. She looked and saw Alois raising the flag, “The mock battle has been cancelled,” He yelled, “We are no longer fighting. Black Eagles, go with Hanneman, and Golden Deer, come with me.”

The group of Golden Deer followed Alois as he headed back to the monastery whilst the Black Eagles followed Hanneman. Freyja could have sworn she saw a smirk in Emerson’s eyes as he followed the crest scholar.

Seteth looked at Freyja and asked her, “Can you ensure everyone gets back to the monastery? I’m going to stay here with Professor Littman and Anastasia and ensure she gets back safely.”

Freyja nodded and gestured to her classmates to follow her, “Is Anastasia going to be okay?” Christophe asked, concerned.

Another voice perked up. Freyja recognized it as Oriana. “She’s injured, but I think she’ll be stable.”

“If you had chosen me to participate, none of this would have happened,” Joaquin said. Freyja shot him a dirty look and he immediately shut up.

As soon as they reached the monastery, Freyja made sure that everyone was okay. After a while, everyone went back to doing their own thing, giving Freyja the chance to be by herself. 

She made sure no one was following her and ran into her dorm room, shut the door, locked it, and allowed herself to cry. Due to her own inadequacies, she had let one of her classmates get injured. If that had been a real battle, she would have _died!_

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and sticking with us this far. I know this chapter was so long but I hope it made up for the wait!
> 
> \- Alunala


	4. now the world is only white noise

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial year 1180**

Stepping onto the battlefield, Freyja took a deep breath.

Seven years ago the mock battle that took place at Garreg Mach was treacherous, deadly, even. Someone very close to her nearly died, and she couldn’t stop it. Today was going to be different than last time, and she was going to make sure of it. Every single one of her students were prepared for the worst and were all equipped with at least one spell to heal each, just in case it was needed. Adelaide was staying on the back lines, and most importantly… Emerson wasn’t here. No one was going to sabotage the mock battle. Everything, and most importantly, every _ one _ was going to be okay.

Looking at her white-haired friend, Freyja noticed they were visibly nervous. Adelaide’s eyes were glued to the grass under their boots, bottom lip between their teeth. Freyja offered Adelaide a small smile. “Laide, we’re going to do great today, don’t worry.”

Adelaide looked up at Freyja, a shaky smile finding its way onto their face. “I believe in our students. This will be much better than last time, I’m sure of it,” they glanced back at their students, then at the other classes, then back at the ground. Taking a deep breath, Freyja saw her friend trembling.

The two of them were fearless mercenaries; heroes who worked tirelessly to save lives all around  Fódlan with incredible skills and abilities, and here Adelaide was, trembling at the face of mere teenagers who were hardly strong enough to cut them a little bit. Freyja couldn’t blame them after their escapades with Emerson on this exact battlefield, but the look on their face incited a feeling of guilt in Freyja. What if she had been able to step in? Emerson wouldn’t have been able to take such a firm grasp on Adelaide’s life the way he had. It was her fault. 

“Frey,” Adelaide’s hand found her shoulder, cutting off Freyja’s thoughts. “It’s a new day. I know what you’re thinking, but you should know that you’re not at fault.”

Their hand reached up to her face, “Listen, I have no idea what you are talking about, Adelaide, okay?” Freyja smiled. “I’m fine.”

Adelaide simply shook their head and ran their thumb under her left eye. “You are lying to me.” They showed Freyja the droplet of water on their leather glove.

“Professors,” Dimitri called for the two, stepping up behind them. “The Blue Lions are prepared for battle.”

Freyja collected herself, standing upright. She turned to face the house leader and nodded to him. “Thank you, Dimitri. How about yourself? Are you feeling prepared?”

Dimitri smiled at Freyja and nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be, professor. Are you ready, Miss Adelaide?”

Freyja’s collected demeanor dropped in a matter of seconds, and Adelaide’s eyes glazed over for a moment.

“Ah, Dimitri,” Freyja began.

Adelaide simply raised their hand, “That’s enough. It’s alright, Frey,” Adelaide looked at Dimitri for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “Yes, very well Dimitri. Collect your classmates.”

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at his professors, concerning writing itself onto his face. “O-of course, professor.”

Freyja smiled at Dimitri, “I’ll explain later, okay?”

Dimitri simply nodded and did as he was told.

“Everyone, take your positions,” Freyja called, looking at her class. “Remember our plan and strategies?”

Felix, Mercedes, and Ashe all took their positions, followed immediately by Dimitri. Freyja looked at Adelaide. “Are you ready?”

Adelaide did not answer. They took a second to ground themself before assuming their position in the back of the lineup, seeming slightly irritated with their current situation. Everyone prepared themselves and turned their attention to Alois at the center of the field.

Freyja tried to focus on the flag Alois held in his hand, but her mind slipped back to the way Adelaide’s face paled when Dimitri called them “miss.” Had Dimitri really not noticed?

As Freyja scanned the field in front of her, she noticed that the picture was nearly identical to that of seven years ago. She spotted pink hair behind a bush. Hilda, was it? Holst’s younger sister, with Claude right next to her. Closer to the Blue Lions stood a lanky looking young man who Freyja had learned was named Ignatz, and to his left stood Lorenz, the student Adelaide rescued from Claude’s stomach poisoning. Manuela stood on the tile near the Golden Deer, with Hanneman to her right.

Freyja caught wind of their strategy almost immediately: Keep the healer safe and healed. With her students and Hanneman at a reasonable distance, if the Golden Deer were to stay put their ranged fighters would be at a good distance to eliminate other participants, while being close enough to the bushes to take cover, and to Manuela to receive support if they needed it, while their close combat fighters would do just as well fighting off enemies in their own territory, given they’re attacked.

Turning her gaze over to the Black Eagles, Freyja noticed immediately that Dorothea stood rather close to Lorenz-- just behind him and to Freyja’s right. It seemed strange that Manuela and Hanneman would station Lorenz so close between two other houses, but it would likely make things easier for the Blue Lions in the long run.

Freyja’s eyes darted to Edelgard, who stood in front of the tile one of the professors was stationed, over to the left of her was her right hand man, Hubert, and behind him stood a very… Orange student, who she believed went by the name of “Ferdinand von Aegir,” that is if his constantly stating “I am Ferdinand von Aegir” was truthful.

Closer to the center of the field stood the man instructing the Black Eagles this year, Freyja believed his name was… Byleth? And on the tile stood the woman, Beleth.

She looked back at her class and gave them a nod, Adelaide nodding back immediately. A smile tugged at Freyja’s lips; the two always did this before battles such as this one.

Freyja settled back in, positioning herself to attack. In mere moments, Alois had dropped the flag, and battle cries rang across the field.

* * *

**1st of the Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

Anastasia had awoken in a dark, unfamiliar room, anxiety tearing at her throat. Afraid to move, she took a moment to let her sight adjust. Moonlight poured through the stained-glass window onto the curtain in front of her, limiting the light she could see. Panic flooded into her gut when she spotted the silhouette of a man to the left of her by the wall.

Her hands began trembling, fingers gripping the covers as she tried her very best not to scream. 

“Ah, Anastasia!” the man exclaimed, standing up quickly to look over her, “I’m so glad you have awakened!”

She felt bile rise in her throat as she sat up slowly, eyes trained closely on the man.

“Everyone has been so worried about you,” he moved to set a hand on her shoulder, but her reaction came more quickly than he could move.

Hardly even a moment later, tears streamed down her face as screams of bloody murder ripped from her throat. Anastasia scrambled to push his hand away, throwing the man into the wall as she scrambled to find her way to the door.

Her limbs tangled in blankets, Anastasia soon found herself on the floor, a stabbing pain hit her in the skin by her lungs at the sound of a small crack. She tried to crawl to pull the curtain, but fell limp on the ground while reaching for it. She couldn’t breathe, the panic gripping her and holding her there on the ground as she continued to cry, screaming in fear and in pain.

“Anastasia!” the man rushed around the bed to the girl, only for her to cower away from him, pressing herself against the wall and curling up, making herself smaller. “Anastasia, I am not going to hurt you— please, you are injured, allow me to help you.”

His soft words were easily drowned out by Anastasia’s screams.

Voices called from the hallway, the door had been kicked open in no time flat. “Anastasia?!” the hastened footsteps drew nearer before the curtain was pulled back.

Alois stood, holding onto the curtain, sweat streaming down his temples, and a very exhausted looking Freyja followed close behind him, holding a lantern.

Anastasia felt her panic ebb away little by little as the oxygen came back to her. She soon found herself wrapped up in Alois’s arms, sobbing into him.

Behind her stood a very shaken and bewildered looking Seteth, face pale and mouth slightly agape, as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. Freyja felt sick to her stomach at the sight of fresh blood on the floor, seeping through Anastasia’s gown that she was carefully dressed in by Manuela.

Seteth didn’t look upset, Freyja clocked. Not at all. He seemed to be more concerned for Anastasia than anything, and Freyja knew he had no intention of harming Anastasia; there must have been a deeper meaning to the situation.

Turning her attention back to Anastasia, she appeared to have fallen asleep in Alois’s arms.

“Did she pass out?” Seteth inched closer to take a look at his student, doing his best not to disturb her.

“I think she was exhausted,” Alois started, picking Anastasia up and bringing her back to her bed. “You have my apologies, professor.”

Seteth moved to examine the cut on her side. “Please, do not be sorry.”

“This is not the first time this has happened, believe me,” Alois muttered under his breath, grabbing for nearby rags and pressing them against their wound. “Looks like she cut herself on the bed frame and hit her wound again…”

Seteth blinked for a moment.

“What do you mean,” Seteth raised an eyebrow, “that this is not the first time this has happened?”

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial year 1180**

_ In mere moments, Alois had dropped the flag, and battle cries rang across the field. _

As planned, Felix, Dimitri, and Freyja charged towards the Golden Deer. Dorothea immediately struck Lorenz in the back with a crack of thunder, sending him stumbling forward. Felix took this opportunity to slash upwards at Lorenz with his sword, effectively forcing him to drop his lance and fall onto his back.

“You’re in my way,” Felix spat, glaring down at the young man. “While you’re making your way off the field, feel free to stop by your hair stylist to have that  _ questionable _ haircut fixed. It’s repulsive.”

“To think I’d meet my end,” Lorenz croaked from the ground, “in a place like this…”

“JUST GET UP YOU DRAMA QUEEN!” Hilda called from the bushes, laughing at her classmate’s early loss.

Claude chuckled, following up Hilda’s statement. “And he had the gall to say  _ my _ strategy was bad?” 

Lorenz stood, taking both his lance and his loss, and making his way off the battlefield.

Freyja was stunned by her student’s stellar performance, but had no time to falter. “Great work, Felix!”

Of course, the Blue Lions had to worry about Dorothea now that she was within range to their frontline fighters. Standing nearby Dorothea was a somewhat frightened looking Ignatz who had just witnessed Felix land a critical hit on his classmate. Freyja thanked Seiros that she had trained her students to hold back well enough; no one was going to get injured today.

Without looking back, Freyja could hear the sound of Adelaide softly snickering, likely at Felix’s comment in tandem with Lorenz’s theatrical “death” and his pathetic sauntering off to the side.

Ignatz took aim and fired, nearly striking Dimitri in the shoulder, but missing by just a hair too far to the right. Taking a deep breath he fired again, this time hitting Dimitri on his opposite shoulder. A nearly inaudible hiss of pain escaped the prince’s lips as he planted himself, doing his best to not topple over the way Lorenz just had.

Ashe took a small dash forward to strike back at Ignatz using curved shot, the skill that Freyja helped him perfect in the short time they had been working together. Seeing the arrow coming, Ignatz froze for a moment too long before jumping back, still taking damage as he was hit in the leg.

Mercedes shot Ashe a congratulatory smile as she circled around the back of the Blue Lions to heal Dimitri.

Adelaide looked over the field, analyzing their enemies. The Golden Deer weren’t moving, as they and Freyja had anticipated, and the Black Eagles… Were also stationary. Generally speaking, they would assume the other class was waiting for them to do more dirty work for them. However, this did not seem to be the case as they made direct eye contact with Beleth, who appeared to be studying them from afar.

They moved towards the Golden Deer, keeping their place at the back of the group as Freyja had instructed prior to the battle and sent a ball of miasma towards Dorothea, being extra sure to not actually hurt her.

Dorothea took the hit just fine, laughing softly to herself. “Come on, professor~ You don’t have to go  _ that _ easy on me!” She teased Adelaide, who in response simply gave her a sheepish look and a shrug.

Freyja cut through to Ignatz, offering him a smile before jabbing at him with her lance twice in a row. 

The impact of both hits pushed Ignatz back, the archer’s boot catching a stone causing him to fall backwards. Freyja caught his arm and pulled him back into a stable position before he could hit the ground. “Wonderful work, Ignatz!”

He smiled back, although nervous. He turned to the rest of his team, “I’m sorry everyone. It was just too much.”

And with that, Ignatz made his way off of the battlefield.

Freyja felt the buzz of excitement from her class’s so far smashing success as they pushed closer to the bushes where Claude and Hilda had taken cover.

Taking her chance immediately, Dorothea wasted no time in retreating back into Black Eagles territory, waiting for a more opportune moment to strike when she wasn’t flying solo against an entire team of people.

* * *

**1st of the Harpstring Moon, Imperial Year 1173**

_ “What do you mean that this is not the first time this has happened?” _

Alois sighed before looking down at Anastasia and gently tending to her wounds as well as he knew how. “I was sent on a mission to the Western Church by Lady Rhea. Something about misconduct or disturbances?” Alois made himself comfortable in the chair next to the bed. “That’s when I found Anastasia.”

Seteth blinked a few times, trying to process the situation. Alois was being far more serious than he had ever seen before.

“Freyja, is it?” Alois takes his eyes off of Anastasia for a moment.

“Yes, sir,” Freyja replied back, straightening out her posture as she spoke to a higher-up.

“Would you mind going and getting Professor Manuela?”

Freyja simply nodded, “Right away, sir!”

With those words, she rushed out of the room to go find Manuela; wherever she may be.

Seteth turned his attention back to Alois the moment the two were alone, eyes slipping between him and their student. “Please, continue, Alois.”

Alois nodded and continued speaking when prompted. “I found her in the Western church's cellar. The kid was beaten and bloody— I’m not even sure how she held on to her life she was in such bad shape.”

Seteth listened, his hands finding him a place to sit on Anastasia’s bed while Alois explained.

“She didn’t remember much, and when I came to get her, she nearly stabbed me trying to protect herself. Anastasia told me she has no home— she was taken in by the church as a charitable act and that after a week or so they turned around and locked her in the basement. She doesn’t know her parents or where she was born, she mentioned that before the Western Church had found her that… That things were even worse for her.”

Seteth found himself looking at Anastasia, taking in their peaceful expression. Sometimes one of the hardest feelings to swallow was knowing that someone you’re helping grow has been hiding a past this painful. In her sleep right now she hardly looked bothered, and when she was awake she was so quiet. Maybe it was that she didn’t want anyone to know? Or maybe she had no idea how to talk about it?

“You have to understand,” Alois sighed, looking up at Seteth to make eye contact with him. “She seems like a troublemaker, but she’s just… Scared. This girl has even created her own spells. Anastasia is brilliant and bright, but she has experienced so much in her short life that she doesn’t feel that she can trust.”

Seteth had heard rumors of her foul language regarding the Church of Seiros, but he had never suspected them to be true until now. However…

“It is understandable that a person-- a child no less, would not be able to trust such a widespread system that has done them so much harm,” Seteth sighed, turning his attention back to Anastasia. To imagine that someone at the age of 18 had already been kidnapped and tortured by a church was… Unspeakable. What could be worse than that? “We will take extra care to be sure Anastasia is safe.”

Alois’s face lit up for a moment, “Thanks, Seteth. She’s like a daughter to me. After I got her out of there she was following me like a puppy,” he chuckled. “Suppose it doesn’t come as a surprise, after never having anyone there for her entire life. My wife absolutely adores her!”

Seteth shook his head, chuckling softly. “I  _ have _ noticed that she had taken a liking to you. I would too, if I were in her shoes.”

“How funny would that be?” Alois laughed, perhaps a little louder than necessary. “Big mister Seteth following someone around like a lost dog!”

“Alright, alright, Alois,” Seteth softly reprimanded him. “You have had your fun.”

Alois’s laughter died down to nothing but chuckles. “Apologies.”

Hardly a moment passes before Freyja returns with Manuela.

“What happened here?”

* * *

**30th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial year 1180**

With the entire Golden Deer class eliminated along with Dorothea, Ferdinand, Mercedes, and Felix, the remainder of the Blue Lions and Black Eagles found themselves face to face with one another.

Freyja stood in front of Byleth, the two staring off, waiting for the right moment to strike.

“So we finally meet properly,” Freyja smirked, “a shame it is when we’re clashing swords. Please know that we have no intention of losing.”

“Neither do we,” Byleth stated bluntly, raising his fists in preparation to fight.

Nearby, Adelaide and Beleth were facing off against each other, both silent. Adelaide sent out a low-powered swarm at their opponent, only to be slashed at in return.

Freyja took a quick glance over to Dimitri, noticing he was fighting head to head with Edelgard, while Ashe took a few steps back to heal himself with his vulnerary. Hubert… Hubert was looking in her direction, but not quite at herself, no. He moved closer and closer before Freyja quickly realized what their strategy was: to corner the professors. Hubert was going towards Adelaide.

Hubert’s hands glowed a deep purple color, and Freyja quickly abandoned her place in front of Byleth to protect her friend from the incoming spell.

“ADELAIDE, MOVE--!” Freyja cried out, with much more intensity than intended but still unable to draw their attention.

Adelaide stared at Hubert, time moving in what seemed to be slow motion. They could hear their own heart pounding in their ears as their breathing went shallow.

A shaky sentence fell from their lips after Freyja called out to them, her voice echoing sluggishly in their head. “I-it’s not like it’s my fault…”

The impact was anticlimactic, to say the very least. Adelaide found they were shaken, but hardly injured at all by Hubert’s spell.

“Adelaide!”

They blinked a few times, trying to bring themself back into their body.

“Adelaide, I’m going to touch you, okay?”

Looking up, they saw Freyja reach her hand out to rest on their shoulder. The rest of the battlefield had stopped to watch in concern for their professor and coworker, their face paled and body shaking like a leaf-- even the onlookers were silent.

“Can you keep going?” Freyja asked, “You  _ know _ that you are allowed to bow out. A mock battle isn’t worth an episode.”

“I’m fine,” Adelaide swallowed and nodded, grounding themself and repositioning for an attack. “I’m fine. I can do this. Sorry for the delay everyone.”

* * *

“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s mock battle,” Alois calls from the side of the field, “the Blue Lions!!”

Freyja couldn’t contain the grin that had settled itself onto her face as she looked to Adelaide, who returned a soft smile.

Dimitri stood proud, examining his classmates for reactions, giving them a wave before running over to them, congratulating everyone for their work in both participation and in strategy.

A joyful laughter bubbled up from behind the two professors drawing their attention to Ashe, who gave them a bright smile before falling backwards into the grass, staring up at the sky and enjoying the feeling of victory.

Adelaide sat down next to Ashe, the two taking a moment to breathe together.

“I told you that you were selected for a reason.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

Freyja smiled at the scene in front of her, but they did have a job to do. “Adelaide, let’s go congratulate the other classes for their impressive work today.”

Adelaide stood, following Freyja to the side of the field. 

“Congratulations.”

The two turned to see Beleth, standing alongside her brother, who looked less thrilled to be having a conversation than she was. Both had an unemotional expression, though Byleth seemed to have a more natural frown.

Adelaide bowed and muttered out something of a thank you.

“Thank you,” Freyja repeated and smiled at her fellow professors, “you sure did not go down without a fight, and your strategies were impeccable! You absolutely must share your ideas, we would love to hear what wisdom you two have picked up on!”

Beleth nodded in agreement. “It would be nice, yes.”

She jabbed her brother in the side and though he reacted minimally, he still knew exactly what that action meant for him.

“Congratulations.”

Freyja and Adelaide continued making small talk with the other two for a few minutes before other students began filing over to make conversation with them.

It was then a comment was spoken somewhere within the group of students. Adelaide did not quite catch who it was that said it.

“I had not suspected that a class with two women teaching as professors would do so well!”

It was followed by a few vocal agreements from other students, and nervous laughter from Freyja.

Adelaide sighed and turned away from the group, “It was nice talking to everyone, but I have work to be done in my room. You know where to find me if necessary.”

As Adelaide began the trek back to their dorm, Freyja looked to the students.

“Please, everyone,” she stated firmly, “we truly appreciate the congratulations, however I would like this to be the last time I have to make this announcement. Adelaide is not a woman, they are simply a person who was unfortunate enough to be born in the wrong body. They will be respectfully referred to with gender neutral terms and pronouns. Thank you for your understanding.”

The smile on Dimitri’s face fell as realization struck him. “Ah, professor? It is about time that we began heading back to the Monastery.”

After the three classes parted ways, Dimitri and Freyja led the Blue Lions to their respective classroom. As they arrived, the house leader spoke up.

“Professor, I… I fear I may have offended professor Adelaide earlier today… Before the mock battle.”

Freyja smiled softly at him before replying. “Mistakes like these happen, Dimitri. It is my fault for not making it more clear before.”

“Even still… I feel that it is necessary for me to apologize.”

“How about this,” Freyja offered. “This class has put in a tremendous amount of work. Our win today was well-deserved. We will have our own class celebration, and Dimitri, you may come with me to Adelaide’s chambers to make things right and invite them to celebrate with us.”

Dimitri nodded, and the Blue Lions got to work at setting up their party, each with their own motives but altogether excited to have this bonding experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! Thank you so much for reading chapter four you guys!  
> This one was a bit heavier for me to write so I tried to balance it out with some nice moments and a little bit of humor, I hope you loved it~  
> Kind comments are always appreciated! Thank you so so so much! We'll see you in the next chapter!  
> Love you all! ~buccibaby <3


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